Willow Island: One Year Later

The announcement came exactly one year ago, February 9, 2012, about the planned closing of Mon Power's coal-fired power plant at Willow Island.

That closing came, as previously announced, last September first.35 people worked at what became the smaller of the Willow Island power plants, when the nearby Pleasants Power Station was completed at the end of the 1970's.

But Todd Meyers, a spokesman for First Energy, Mon Power's parent company, said Friday none of those nearly three dozen workers lost their jobs.

All were transferred to the Pleasants facility when the Willow Island station closed.

What is not certain is the future of the closed plant.

Meyers says it hasn't been decided whether it'll be demolished, sold or reconverted for other uses.______________________________________________________

Last month, First Energy announced plans to close three West Virginia plants...including the Willow Island power plant, on line since the 1950's...on September first.

But the West Virginia Public Utilities Commission says it needs more information as to why the plants need to be shut down.

The PSC has issued an order delaying the shutdowns until it reviews them.

The company has until the end of the month to respond to that order.

First Energy has said it would rather close the plants than upgrade them to meet EPA standards.

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